Fall Down Seven Times, Stand Up Eight
by Katt0u0
Summary: The story of a boy who shouldn't have been there, but was.
1. Chapter 1

Disclaimer! I do not own katekyo hitman reborn or any of the characters from the show. Just the OCs. I'm not making any money off this either.

Also the picture is from Rinmaru games and the actual artwork is by PrinceofRedRoses.

This fanfic will be following the manga later on, but it'll take a while to get there! On with the story!

x ~ x ~ x

Chapter 1

Okada Shirou and Okada Maeko were content with their lives.

They weren't extraordinary by any means, but they had everything they needed to be happy together. They owned a cozy, two-bedroom apartment in Sapporo – near the banks of the Toyohira River – that they shared with their calico cat Amai. Shirou sold fish down at the Nijo Market with his older brother Akio, and Maeko was a police officer at the Chuo Station. Shirou was cheerful, with a childish sense of humor that contrasted with his tall, stocky build and calloused hands. Maeko was a warm-hearted person, though she was prone to losing her temper. She was also 7 months pregnant. That was, perhaps, the most crucial detail.

Because on July 1st, 1990, at approximately 11:23 pm, Okada Maeko went into premature labor.

The next morning at 6:59 am in Hokkaido University Hospital, she gave birth to a baby boy.

Okada Yasuo was born 4 weeks early. He was 43 cm in length, weighed 2.1 kg, and had a hole in his heart. He was immediately taken to the NICU, where he was placed in an incubator under the careful eye of hospital staff.

Maeko and Shirou spent the next 6 weeks at the hospital with him, making sure one of them was always in the room. They were told that the hole between his aorta and pulmonary artery would most likely close on its own and that his apnea would resolve with time. Then they were sent home with instructions to take him to a pediatrician right away, watch his breathing closely, avoid any visitors or public places for a few weeks, and come back for routine blood, vision, and heart tests.

Though it was a high strung, anxiety-filled time for the couple, somehow, they managed. Shirou left his job so he could stay home full time. Maeko threw herself into her work, often staying late to bring in more income. They followed their pediatrician's guidelines strictly, continued to monitor Yasuo for any health problems until he was 2, and kept track of his growth.

They considered themselves very lucky when the doctor gave their son a clean bill of health.

And so, life went on for the Okada family. Yasuo went to Sapporo Yutaka Kindergarten after he turned 3, Shirou returned to work at the market, and Maeko was able to spend more time at home. Two years after that, when Yasuo was 5, they decided to have another child. Okada Hinata was born on February 7th, 1996. Yasuo cried with joy the first time he held her, and his parents cried with relief.

Time did what it does best. It passed.

x ~ x ~ x

Over the next year, something changed.

Yasuo was still too young to understand why, but he knew there was something wrong with his parents. Late at night, when they thought he was sleeping, he could hear them screaming at each other. He would sit with his back up against his door, Amai curled up in his lap, and listen. One morning, there was a hole in the kitchen wall that hadn't been there before.

That was why, even though he didn't know why she did it, it wasn't a surprise when his mom took him and his baby sister away. She packed up a moving truck full of her belongings, grabbed her kids and the cat, and drove south.

Yasuo asked her, "Mommy, where are we going?"

She replied, "We're going to Namimori, dear. We're going to live there from now on, okay?"

He slumped in his seat. "…Okay."

He stared out the window, gazing down at the other cars passing by on the highway.

Namimori….

Yasuo didn't understand it. He wouldn't be able to for many years to come.

But for some reason hearing the name Namimori…

Filled him with dread.

x ~ x ~ x

"Yasuo-kun! Can you help me unpack some of these boxes?"

"Yeah, Mommy!"

Okada Yasuo picked himself up from his rumpled futon where he'd been laying on his belly for the past few hours reading some manga. He left his room and bounded down the stairs, jumping over the last two steps. He veered left and suddenly stopped under the archway between the entryway and the living room. The living room was mostly empty, it's walls still bare white. The only things in there were a playpen to the right, piles of boxes, and framed pictures lined up along the far wall. His feet made little noise as they padded across the plush, cream-colored carpet to where his mom knelt on the floor in front of a massive box labeled 'Kitchen' in black ink.

She leaned over and reached into the box, pulling back with two clear drinking glasses which she then handed to Yasuo. "Here, sweetie, can you take these into the kitchen and put them in the cabinet all the way to the right?" She smiled brightly at him even though her deep brown eyes showed how exhausted she was.

"Mmm sure. But why are we keeping all these boxes in here anyway? Wouldn't it be better to move them where they need to be?" The boy tilted his head and scrunched up his nose a little, even as he moved to do as she had asked.

Her smile turned into a wry grin. "The moment you can help me lift them is the moment we'll move them." She rose from her position, knees cracking, and followed close behind her son with a stack of plates balanced in her hands.

After a couple of hours emptying boxes and putting things in their proper places – and way too much complaining on Yasuo's part – they decided to stop for the time being. ("But only for an hour or two, Ya-kun! We have a lot more work to do, you know.) Passing through the living room again, he stopped by the playpen. His mom had set it up next to a window that looked out to the front yard. Peering down, he couldn't help the adoring smile that took over his face. Hinata cooed back at him, waving her tiny, chubby arms.

She was all chubby cheeks, thick, wavy dark hair, and deep brown eyes. As far as Yasuo was concerned, she was the cutest baby that ever lived. Standing on his tippy toes, he reached down towards her to touch her face. The first thing she did was pull his fingers into her mouth, where she proceeded to chew on them with her brand-new baby tooth. He yanked his hand back with a high pitched squeal. "Gross!"

And regretted it right away when he saw her face scrunch up in preparation to scream.

"Oh no! I'm sorry! Aaah, oh, um…here!" He quickly grabbed her pacifier and put it in her mouth. When she didn't spit it back out, he sighed in relief. Crisis averted.

He patted her on the head a couple of times and then pulled away. He went back upstairs, intent on finishing up the chapter he'd been reading before. He paused for just a moment in the doorway, taking everything in.

His futon was pushed against the walls in the room's far-left corner. There was an open black suitcase on the floor in front of it with clothes haphazardly scattered on the floor. The window next to it was open to let in the hot summer air, framed by light blue curtains that moved gently in the breeze. A built-in closet took up the entirety of the far-right wall, although the only things in there were some Namimori Elementary uniforms and a pair of sneakers. To his immediate right, there was an antique chest of drawers. It was made of maple wood and older than his Granny. A dull, white, plastic laundry hamper – empty – sat next to it.

A door on the left wall a couple of feet away lead to a shared bathroom that joined with Hinata's room. Yasuo decided to go in there instead.

'Manga can wait, I gotta pee.'

After finishing up all that lovely business, he pulled out a step stool and placed it on the floor in front of the sink. Washing his hands in scalding hot water, Yasuo looked at himself in the mirror.

His face was round and chubby from baby fat. He had a button nose like his mom and thin lips like his dad. His thick, dark brown hair was cut short in a choppy boyish style. He had his dad's eyes. Round – almost doe-eyed – with the color of melted caramel, and long lashes.

He made silly faces at himself in the mirror. He snickered and grinned, showing all his baby teeth.

With that thorough self-examination done, he sprinted back over to his room and flopped down onto the futon belly first.

Rolling onto his back, Yasuo reached over for the manga that he'd discarded on the hardwood floor and held it to his chest. Staring at the white paneled ceiling unblinkingly for a few minutes, he thought to himself about what was yet to come.

He felt his mood sour, and he began to sulk. 'I don't want to be here. I don't like Namimori. It's too hot, it's humid, and I hate the feeling it gives me.'

His eyes fell shut. 'I miss dad.'

His mom had told him to be positive. She said he would like it here once he made some friends, and that his bad feeling about the place would go away too. That he and Hinata would get to see Dad again after they "worked out custody issues." Whatever that meant.

He didn't want to think about this anymore.

He opened his eyes again and sat up, sitting with his legs crossed. It was time to get back to reading his manga.


	2. Chapter 2

Disclaimer: I do not own katekyo hitman reborn or any of the characters from the show.

x ~ x ~ x

Chapter 2

The day was September 1st.

The big moment, the beginning of the rest of Yasuo's life as he knew it…!

The day was Yasuo's first day of elementary school.

His mom held his hand while she walked beside him, Hinata napping peacefully in her carrier, as they entered Namimori Elementary's main gate. They stopped by the office so she could ask for directions, and then made their way to class. As they walked down the halls, Yasuo glanced at his surroundings. There were bulletin boards on the walls filled with childish paintings, scribbled hiragana worksheets, and posters advertising clubs. The walls were painted a soft, pastel blue, and the floor was made of large white tiles. Overhead, fluorescent lights illuminated everything in warm, white light. There were windows not only to the outside world but into the classrooms too. Yasuo could see some curious faces within watching them as they passed.

All too soon, they reached his new classroom and stopped in front of the door. Looking up at the sign that read 1-A and then at his mama, Yasuo tried to communicate exactly how much he _did not_ want to go. Rather than acknowledge his pleading look, his mom sat back on her haunches – taking care not to wake the baby – and smoothed down his hair.

With a pleasant, relaxed expression, she said, "Now Ya-kun, I know you're nervous about transferring in the middle of the school year, but just give it time. You'll have lots of new friends in no time!"

He fought back a grimace and a whine.

'I'm not nervous! I just don't want to go to this stupid school, in this stupid city! I wanna go back to my old school!'

"Now, you have everything you need, right? And you know that if a strange adult tries to get you to come with them, you ask them for the password!" She fussed over her son, straightening out his white, short-sleeved button-up and navy-blue shorts.

He squirmed and tried to bat her hands away.

This time he did whine, "Yeees, Mom."

"You do know it, right? Tell me, what's the password?"

He mumbled to himself, "… I am the dancing queen."

"What was that? I can't hear you~."

"I am the dancing queen!" he hissed as his face turned red.

"Hahah! Good boy. Also, remember Mommy's got a new job down at the police station, so I've enrolled you in the karate club. They'll watch over you until I come to pick you up at 5:00 pm, okay?"

"Yeees, Mom."

Satisfied, his mom raised herself up. She kissed him on the forehead, waved a cheerful goodbye at him, and left.

Turning to face the door, Yasuo took a deep breath in through his nose and let it out slowly.

'It is what it is. I'll be able to get through this too!'

He slid the door open and was instantly met with the stares of thirty-something children and one old man. His cheeks felt warm, and he could hear his heart pounding in his ears. Maybe he was just a bit nervous. The teacher called him over to stand at the front of the room near the blackboard, where the older man was standing ramrod straight with his hands clasped behind his back.

"Everyone, this is the new transfer student. I expect you all will make him feel welcome." He shot a pointed glare at a group of sniggering boys sitting in the back, before directing his attention back to Yasuo. "Why don't you introduce yourself to the class? Tell us your name, where you're from, and your likes and dislikes. Oh, and any hobbies."

Nodding, he faced the class and – with a look of slight apprehension – spoke up.

"Nice to meet you, I'm Okada Yasuo. I'm from Sapporo, which is way up north. I like Takoyaki and snow, and I hate hospitals. My hobby is reading manga. Please take care of me!" He finished with a low bow.

Chatter broke out around the room, but the teacher silenced them in seconds with a sharp look.

"Okada-san, my name is Yamada-sensei. Please come to me after class with any questions you may have. You may take a seat next to Sawada-san."

Yasuo froze, staring wide-eyed at the tiny, fluffy-haired child Yamada-sensei had pointed out sitting in the second row. It felt like he'd been slapped in the face, hard. He could've sworn he'd known the other boy for a long time but… it was their first time meeting. Wasn't it?

Meanwhile, Sawada Tsunayoshi had a mini panic attack trying to figure out why this scary new kid was giving him a death stare. They'd never even met before!

Slowly, Yasuo regained his composure and sat down at the desk on Sawada's left. The poor kid looked like he expected to get hit or something. He kept flinching and making this little high-pitched shriek whenever Yasuo turned to talk to him. Before long, the class started. Yamada-sensei wrote basic math questions on the board and called students to the front so they could write their answers. Yasuo tuned out the lesson cause math was boring, and let his mind wander. Mostly, he was thinking about that weird kid Sawada and why he felt so familiar.

He got so wrapped up in his thoughts that it caught him by surprise when lunch came around. A handful of those previously staring children gathered around his desk to bombard him with questions.

"What's it like in Sapporo, Okada-kun?" a girl with short, black hair and round glasses asked. She smiled at him shyly.

Yasuo returned her smile with a warm one of his own. "It gets really cold and snowy in the wintertime, and there's a Snow Festival at the end of January. There are a lot of rivers near where I lived too. There's also skiing, a big market my dad works at, and this really old clock tower."

Another oddly familiar kid with spikey black hair and big brown eyes shouted from the back, "How old are you? When's your birthday?"

A kid with coal-black hair and eyes sat on his desk. "Why are you so tall?"

"You look like a girl!" Yasuo wasn't sure who said that, but he thought he saw those boys from earlier laughing.

"What's your favorite color?" – 'Wait a second, do I know her too? What's going on?'

A tan boy with… bright red hair? What? He tugged on Yasuo's sleeve. "What's your favorite food?"

Yasuo waved his hands in front of his face, flustered, "Aah, one question at a time, please! Umm, so I'm 7 years old and my birthday is on July 2nd. I'm tall because my dad is tall. My favorite color is green, and my favorite food is Takoyaki." He started to pout. "And I _do not_ look like a girl!"

Okay, those boys were definitely laughing at him now.

'Dad always said that when someone's mean, to turn it into a joke…'

Yasuo abruptly stopped pouting and grinned instead. "Am I a pretty girl?" He wiggled his eyebrows and made a silly face.

Most of the boys in the room did a collective sweat drop ('Why!? This isn't an anime!') while the girls giggled. The guy from before with spiky hair, just smile and laughed, "Haha, yeah!"

'…Did that guy just call me pretty?'

Before he could think about it more, a girl – the one who had asked about his favorite color – came up to stand at his left. She had golden-brown hair and bright golden eyes. If he didn't know better, he would have said there were sparkles in the air around her.

Yasuo kept his face carefully blank. 'I think I'm just gonna have to get used to seeing Japanese people with weird hair and eye colors. They just keep popping up!'

She was holding hands with another annoyed-looking, black-haired girl and smiling innocently at him. "Hello, Okada-kun! My name is Sasagawa Kyoko, and this is my best friend Kurokawa Hana. I hope we can be friends!"

Yasuo sat up a little straighter and blushed happily. "We are definitely going to be friends! Definitely! Kurokawa-san, let's be friends also."

Hana just stared at him in disgust. "Tch, no way. I seriously hate kids. Shoo, shoo!" She made a shooing motion with her free hand.

He thought exasperatedly to himself, 'But you're a kid too!'

After answering some more questions and getting the name of that one short-haired girl – Fukui Ayame – Yasuo went to the back of the room. There were cubbies along the wall, and Yamada-sensei had told him to put his belongings away and pull out his bento. Up on the wall, there was a bulletin board showcasing students' projects. There was also some kanji he still couldn't read, and a large color-coded calendar detailing upcoming events. On the left wall, there was a small blackboard, with students' names written along the side. Gold stars were taped next to some. Yasuo searched through the names; Sasagawa Kyoko had 8 stars, Kurokawa Hana had 6, Fukui Ayame had 5…

Sawada Tsunayoshi – 0 stars

Someone had written 'ダメツナ. あなたは役に立たない!' in bright yellow chalk instead.

'_No-good Tsuna. You are useless!_'

Yasuo took the time to erase it before heading back to his desk to eat his bento.

He wanted to talk to Sawada before class started again. He couldn't shake the feeling that he knew him from somewhere. When he got back though, Sawada was gone. Yasuo hadn't even noticed him leave. He didn't come back after lunch was over, either. Or for recess. Or for the rest of the school day. Yasuo could help but worry. 'Did he get sick or something?'

Since classes were over for the day and Mom wasn't coming to pick him up for another few hours, Yasuo found himself wandering over towards the karate club's room. Lucky for him, that boy with the red hair – Takano Daichi – was in the club too and had told him how to get there. He moved down the hall, took the second right turn, went down to the end of that hall, rushed down the flight of stairs leading to the basement, took a left, another right, and pushed open one of the large double doors to the back of the school.

Turns out, Namimori Elementary had a lot of outdoor facilities dedicated to club activities and sports. There was a sizable football field, surrounded by a track and bleachers directly behind the school. A playground with seesaws, swing sets, a metal slide, a jungle gym, and a courtyard for ball games was over to the right, bordered by a thick line of oak trees. The part that Yasuo was most concerned with, though, was over to the left of the football field. A long, single-story building that was mostly used for holding sports equipment, the water heater, and the emergency power generator. One of the rooms had been remodeled into a dojo a few years ago, according to Takano. It was obviously the third door down because it had a piece of paper with KARATE DOJO written in sloppy handwriting taped to it.

'Here goes nothing.'

Yasuo slid open the door and –

x ~ x ~ x

"Ow. Ouch! God damn it…"

Yasuo got his ass handed to him.

The club's captain, a much larger 12-year-old boy, thought the best way to teach was through hands-on experience. All the smaller kids were afraid of going against him, too. This meant that Yasuo had spent the entire 2 hours of club time fighting off the other members and failing miserably. All he had to show for it were blue bruises up and down his arms, ribs that ached with each breath, and a swollen, shiny, black eye. Even Takano got in on the action.

'I mean, he did come up and apologize afterward. And he did promise to teach me all the katas next time…'

But it still hurt.

Grumbling to himself and scratching his belly through his shirt, he meandered over to the playground and plopped his butt down onto one of the swings. He rocked himself back and forth, using the tips of his white sneakers. Trying anything more hurt his ribs.

…

…

Yasuo was bored.

He still had a whole hour before his mom came to pick him up, and everyone else had already gone home. He thought about going back by himself, but he didn't have a house key…

He sighed. 'Maybe I could look for bugs or cool rocks over by the trees? Or I could go to the library and start my homework… auuugh I don't wanna –'

He stiffened.

Someone was watching him.

He quickly looked around but didn't see anyone. Uneasy, he got up from the swing and left it swaying. He walked around the playground and then over to the trees, searching. He strained his eyes, trying to see if there was anyone in the thicket.

. . .

. . .

Something hit him on the back of the head!

Yasuo screeched and bolted for the school, kicking up dust behind him. (Standing in front of an open window somewhere within the school, piece of chalk in hand, someone allowed themselves an amused little smile.) When he was safe inside, he sat back against a wall with his legs sticking straight out in front of him. His chest was heaving, and his breath came in uneven gasps.

He brushed his arm across his forehead, wiping away sweat. 'I think I'll wait for Mom in the office.'

That's where she found him thirty minutes later. They then walked home together, hand in hand.


	3. Chapter 3

Disclaimer! Extra Extra! Read all about it! I do not own katekyo hitman reborn!

x ~ x ~ x

Chapter 3

The months passed in much the same fashion as that first day.

Yasuo walked to school by himself bright and early every morning so his mom could drop Hinata off at daycare. He ignored everything in math since he didn't get it anyway, but he excelled in Japanese. Most of the time, he spent lunch chatting about unimportant things with Sasagawa and Kurokawa. Other times, he went outside to sit by himself under the biggest oak tree. Sawada avoided him, and he still got his butt kicked in the karate club. He usually wandered around the school before his mom came to take him home. Once he was back, he did all his homework, read manga while his mom cooked dinner, played with his baby sister, and went to bed at 9:30 pm.

He doubted today would be any different.

Yasuo laid on his futon with his knees tucked up to his belly and one hand under his pillow, snuggled under a forest green duvet. He didn't want to get up yet, he was so waaarm. He let his eyes flutter shut and pulled his blanket higher, so it was tucked under his chin.

So warm…

Zzzzzzz….

"YASUO! Time to get up for school!"

"GAAAH!" He shot upright, eyes wide and hands clenched.

"Aaaaaugh!" And let himself fall backward again, hiding beneath his covers.

He heard heavy steps come up the stairs and over to his door. A soft knock followed. "Yasuo-kun! Dear, I need you to get up and come have breakfast. You need to be out of the house by the time I leave."

He didn't answer.

"Yasuo-kun?"

. . .

"Yasuo."

His body tensed at her warning tone.

"Don't make me come in there and get you myself. If you're not downstairs in 5 minutes, _I will drag you down_."

Her footsteps faded as she left.

This was a daily struggle.

He rolled off his futon onto the floor, wrapping his duvet around him like a cocoon. He then struggled and kicked his way out of said cocoon until his legs were free. He untangled himself fully, pulling his gray pajama shirt back down since it had rolled up to expose his stomach. He got up and shivered, teeth chattering. "Cold, cold, way too cold!" He quickly changed into his uniform, pulled on some thick socks, and ran a brush through his hair.

Yasuo ran down the stairs and into the kitchen with a minute to spare. He pulled out a chair at the dining table, its legs scraping against the wooden floor, and hopped onto it. "Morning, Mommy. What's for breakfaaa-haast?" The tail end of his words got caught in a yawn, and he covered his mouth with the palm of his hand.

His mom was standing at the kitchen counter with her back towards him, preparing breakfast. Her hair was pulled up into a high ponytail, and she was already dressed in her police uniform. "Good morning, Ya-kun," she turned her head to smile at him, "we're having rice, grilled fish, pickled vegetable salad –" "Bleh!" "– and miso soup." She turned back around to focus on her cooking.

Yasuo kept himself busy by bothering Hinata, who sat in her highchair at the right end of the table. He reached over, poked the tip of her nose, and gently pinched her cheek. "Good morning, little sister." She blew spit bubbles at him.

"Here we go!" His mom started moving each small dish onto the table and with a bit of prodding, Yasuo did too. He put some cut up strawberries, blueberries, and tiny cubes of tofu on Hinata's tray. She clumsily shoved some fruit in her mouth. Then, he and his mom sat down across from one another and picked up their chopsticks.

"Thanks for the food!"

"Thank you for the food."

They tucked into their meals, and for a few minutes, the only sound heard was that of chopsticks against porcelain. Sunlight streamed into the room through a window on the left wall, reflecting off the pale-yellow walls. When combined with the red oak hardwood floor and white, country-style cabinets, it gave the room a bright, spacious feel. Amai crouched at her bowl below the window and to the left of the refrigerator, crunching on dry kibble.

His mom set down her chopsticks on an empty plate and got up from her chair. "Yasuo-kun, I'm going out this evening with some of the girls from work. I can give you a spare key if you promise to behave yourself until I get back. Or you can stay with Tama-obasan." She gathered all the dishes into the metal sink, and set to washing them. Hinata threw a blueberry on the floor, and the cat darted over to eat it.

Yasuo cringed when she mentioned Tama. In his opinion, she was a nasty old hag. She made him sit on the floor instead of the couch, wouldn't let him touch anything in her house, and didn't even have a TV so he could watch cartoons. She also lived right next door. Ugh.

He got up, grabbed a cleaning rag, and wiped off the grey speckled granite counter and birch tabletop. He then picked up Amai's food bowl and held it out for his mom to take. "Nope, I promise I'll be good! Where are you going?"

She took it from him and ran it under the hot water. "To Namimori Fitness Center, near the dojo. Now, go upstairs and finish getting ready, or you'll be late!"

Yasuo gave a mock salute. "Yes, ma'am!"

He ran up the stairs and over to his – now fully stocked – closet, sat on the floor so he could pull on his sneakers, snatched his homework from his desk, picked his school bag up off the floor, and ran back downstairs.

His mom was waiting for him by the front door with Hinata already in her carrier. "Did you brush your teeth?"

He ran back upstairs.

A moment later, he scrambled back down, _again, _ready for real this time.

She dropped a shiny silver key into his bag. "Don't lose it, 'kay?" She ruffled his hair.

"I won't!"

And they were off.

x ~ x ~ x

Later that same day, everyone was outside for recess. The sky was covered in a dense layer of clouds that made everything look grey. Snow flurries danced in the wind as they fell. All the other kids were bundled up in their winter uniforms and coats, running around on the playground.

But Yasuo wasn't playing. He was sitting on his own under his favorite tree, it's branches bare. Dead, brown grass rustled beneath his fingertips. His breath formed tiny clouds as it left his mouth, chilled by the December air.

Yasuo was annoyed.

For months he had been trying to talk to Sawada, and for months Sawada had hidden from him. Every time he had a free moment, the other boy disappeared! Yasuo didn't even know why! All he knew was that the weird feeling of familiarity never went away. It only got stronger. Which is why he wanted to talk to him so badly. He thought maybe if he did, that feeling would go away.

He had been spending recess each day looking for the other boy, and he was sick of it. He huffed, crossing his arms against his chest. Today, Yasuo was going to find him and make him listen! Determination building within him, he rose to his feet and walked over to the jungle gym. He looked up at Fukui, who was hanging upside-down by her knees on one of the bars. She smiled down at him when she saw him watching. "Hi, Okada-kun! Want to play Oni Gokko? Sasagawa-chan, Kurokawa-chan, and Yukimura-san want to, and we want one more player."

He managed a small smile. "Hey, Fukui-chan. No, I don't wanna play right now, but thanks for inviting me. Speaking of Oni Gokko, do you know any really good hiding spots? Like, super-secret ones?" He climbed up until he reached her and sat down, legs dangling beneath him.

"Mmm, no, I don't. Sorry…"

Yasuo sighed. "It's fine. I gotta go, so I'll see you later." He started to get back down, but she reached out and grabbed his jacket sleeve. He sat back down, and she let go.

Fukui pulled herself up, so she was sitting upright on a bar a little higher than him and pushed her wireframe glasses further up on the bridge of her nose. They fell back down immediately. "Why do you want to know? Are you trying to hide from someone?"

"No," he kicked his legs back and forth, "I'm trying to find Sawada-san."

She perked up. "Oh! Well, I still don't know where he is. But, maybe Otomi-san knows?"

"Who?"

"Otomi-san! He always sits in the back with his friends. He likes to bother No-Good Tsuna a lot, so I bet he's good at finding him. He's the one that said you look like a girl, remember?"

Oh.

_That_ guy. The corners of his lips pulled down into a bitter scowl.

Yasuo didn't want to talk to him. It was the best lead he had, though…

He turned his attention back to Fukui, who was still waiting for his answer.

"Yeah, I remember him. Thanks, Fukui-chan! I owe you one." He jumped down and landed in a crouch. "Bye!"

He heard her shout, "Goodbye!" as he hurried to the swing sets, the frozen ground crunching under his heavy footfalls. That was where Otomi and his so-called friends liked to hang out. They always hogged the swings and bullied anyone who tried to use one.

He slowed down and came to a stop a couple of meters away from them. "Otomi-san!" he called.

Otomi was a jerk, plain and simple. He was the type who only had friends cause they were afraid of him, and he picked on anyone he didn't like. He had mousy brown hair, small, black eyes, and a near-permanent smirk. He was also big for his age. Very big. "What do you want, idiot?" He got up from his swing to move toward Yasuo and the rest of his lackeys followed.

Yasuo's right eye twitched, but he didn't take the bait. Despite how much Otomi pissed him off, he was still a little bit afraid of him. He also knew he couldn't win a physical fight against the other boy, so he tried his best to stay calm. "Do you know where I can find Sawada-san?" He shoved his hands in his pockets and shifted his weight from one foot to another.

Otomi paused. "Yeah, I know where that good-for-nothing coward's hiding." His smirk widened, and he stepped closer. "You wanna know?"

"Yes."

"Do my homework for a week. All of it." They were standing face to face now. Yasuo glared up at him.

"Fine."

"He's on the roof. The door handle is locked, but if you push hard enough, it'll open." He flicked Yasuo on the floorhead and sniggered. "Make sure you do good on my homework! I want top marks, girly boy." He swaggered back to the swings, the other children laughing and calling Yasuo names as they trailed after him.

Yasuo fumed as he glowered at Otomi's stupid, fat head. He balled his hands into tight little fists and stormed off in the direction of the school.

'God, what an asshole!'

x ~ x ~ x

'He's a jerk, but he wasn't lying.'

Yasuo pushed open the heavy metal door to the roof. Otomi had been right. Even though the handle itself was locked, the door latch wasn't lined up correctly. All anyone had to do was apply enough pressure near the handle and it would pop right open. Yasuo noticed there were deep scratch marks on the door frame from being forced open so many times.

He stepped out onto the concrete, making sure the door shut without making too much noise. He zipped up his dark blue, thick coat as he shivered. Yasuo usually wasn't bothered much by the cold, but the wind up here cut through him. Then, he waited. In the distance, Sawada was standing at the chain-link fence bordering the roof, forehead resting against the metal and fingers gripping at the wires. He was too engrossed with whatever he was looking at on the ground below. He didn't notice that someone else had arrived.

Yasuo stepped lightly, going right behind the other to see what he was looking at. He looked down over the shorter boy's shoulder and saw his classmates on the playground. Specifically, he saw Sasagawa right below them, waiting on a seesaw and calling over Kurokawa. Yasuo glanced at Sawada out of the corner of his eye. He had a dopey love-struck expression on his face and bright red blush across his cheeks.

Yasuo blinked. All thoughts of demanding to talk to Sawada left his head as he realized what that meant.

A wide grin overtook his face. "You have a crush on Sasagawa-chan?"

"HIIIII!" Sawada's spine snapped straight, and his shoulders jerked, startled. He backed away from the fence, nearly tripping over himself in the process. He jerked his head around to stare at Yasuo, his posture stiff and hands balled into fists in front of his chest. Bright orange (?) eyes wide, he sputtered "No, I don't! I definitely don't!" Yasuo watched as the blush faded from his face, and the other boy appeared to physically wilt. His shoulders drooped, and he looked down and off to the side. With a resigned expression, he murmured, "And even if I did, there's no way someone like Kyoko-chan would notice someone like me."

Yasuo shifted his weight from side to side and shoved his hands into his coat pockets. It really was way too windy up here. He wondered how Sawada wasn't shivering with only a hoodie to keep him warm. Not that it wasn't a nice hoodie, it was bright orange and pretty warm looking but still.

'Focus, Yasuo."

He furrowed his eyebrows in confusion. "What do you mean, someone like you?"

Sawada gave him a look like he thought he was an idiot or something. His spiky, gravity-defying brown hair was ruffled by a particularly strong gust of wind. "You know, a loser. No-good and bad at everything."

Yasuo took his hands out of pockets and let his arms hang by his side. He then walked over to stand closer to Sawada, maintaining steady eye contact. "I don't think you're a loser."

Now Sawada looked upset with him. He crossed his arms and flashed him an annoyed look. "Look, I already know that I'm no-good and stuff, so stop lying! I don't need you to pretend to be nice to me."

"I'm not lying!"

"Yeah, you are!"

"No, I'm not!" Yasuo wanted to take off his coat, he felt way too hot. His palms were clammy and gross, and he could feel his heart speed up in his chest. They were both shouting at that point, but neither of them cared if anyone else heard. Sawada was annoyed with Yasuo for lying to him and trying to trick him. Yasuo was pissed cause he wasn't lying damn it! What would it take to make Sawada believe him?

Sawada stomped his foot on the concrete – and winced a little, it hurt! – in a fit of childish rage. "Yeah you are! You were glaring at me before cause you think I'm a loser, right? You looked like you wanted to beat me up – it was super scary!" His eyes got even wider somehow? They were perfect circles with pinpricks for irises. That was NOT NATURAL. His mouth opened wide, and he pointed an accusatory finger in Yasuo's face. "And also, why have you been following me!? It's really creepy!"

Yasuo felt the blood drain from his face as all his anger left as quickly as it came. He took a step back, open hands raised in a placating gesture. He avoided eye contact and twitched nervously as he felt his mouth go dry.

'What's creepy is your face right now!' Is what he wanted to say.

Instead, he let his hands drop back to his sides. He made himself look at Sawada in the eye and said, "Since when did I glare at you?" Sawada shot back with, "When you first came to class!" Yasuo ignored him and kept going. "And I've been following you cause I want to talk to you, but you always run away!"

Sawada's face returned to normal as he relaxed somewhat. "Well yeah, you're scary." He said that like it should have been obvious. They stood in silence for a moment, each one refusing to look at the other or talk. Yasuo used that time to calm down, taking deep, steady breaths and consciously relaxing his muscles. Mom had told him to do that whenever he was really angry at someone. She had taught him how, after he'd smacked a kid on the head for calling him stupid a few years ago. It still worked wonders.

Yasuo noticed Sawada moving out of the corner of his eye. Sawada scratched the back of his head with one hand and put the other in his hoodie pocket. He looked up at Yasuo, a drop of sweat beading on his temple and caution in his eyes. "U-um. What did you want to talk about?"

'Well, that was unexpected.'

Yasuo gazed down at Sawada for a moment, thinking.

'About how you're oddly familiar, and I feel like I've known you for years, even though this is the first time we've ever talked. How I think you're really great, even though you've been nothing annoying so far. How I once saw someone who looked just like you, but older and taller. That when I blinked, they disappeared, and it was just normal you.'

Yeah. Yasuo had thought he was going crazy when that happened.

He closed his eyes and hummed.

'Like hell, I'm gonna say any of that!'

When he opened his eyes again, he noticed that Sawada was beginning to fidget. So, he steeled his nerves and blurted out, "I wanna be your friend."

Sawada stopped fidgeting, and his gaze darted up to meet Yasuo's. His expression brightened noticeably, even though he clutched his sides and gulped. He looked like he wanted to believe it but still wasn't sure. His voice trembled slightly when he asked, "You mean it?"

Yasuo's shoulders relaxed – he hadn't even noticed how tense he still was – and he smiled tremulously. He felt his stomach flutter a little. "Yeah! I wouldn't have said it if I didn't mean it."

A broad smile lit up Sawada's face as he began to bounce on the balls of his feet. "Okay! Then, let's be friends!" He paused for a moment, his smile shrinking and some of his nervousness returning. "But you have to promise not to be so scary anymore!"

The grin on Yasuo's face was so big it hurt his cheeks. His eyes crinkled at the corners, and he let out a giggle. It felt like a weight had been lifted off his shoulders. "I promise!" He held his right hand out for a pinky swear. Sawada linked their pinkies together and shook their hands once. They both pulled back, and Yasuo tittered. "Then, can I call you Tsuna? And you can call me Yasuo!"

Tsuna nodded rapidly. "Yeah, that's good! But Okad- Yasuo! Yasuo, since we're friends now, want to go play on the seesaw? Recess is almost over…" As soon as he said yes, Tsuna grabbed his hand and tugged him towards the door. They ran until they reached the playground, Tsuna babbling about which seesaw was best while Yasuo grinned.

They spent the rest of recess trying to make each other bounce off the seesaws.


End file.
